Aideen Ruan, though a royal princess, was always unwanted due to the circumstances of her birth. Born blind to a hostage concubine, she possessed an intriguing beauty; however, her disability rendered her utterly useless to the royal family. Even when the struggling Count Crueder reluctantly agreed to take Aideen as his wife to secure the royal dowry, her life failed to improve. A year into their marriage, Aideen's inability to produce an heir sealed her fate. The princess was destined for exile to the Temple, consigned to spend the remainder of her days in isolation and abandonment. Contrary to her anticipations, instead of the Temple, Aideen found herself within the cold walls of Duke Tillian Valentine's castle. Duke Valentine, the last scion of the once-revered Valentine family that ruled the Kingdom before the "Fratricide Rebellion", now presided over the desolate Northern lands. Faced with fear and confusion, Aideen expected her life to perpetuate its cycle of misery, only to discover that Duke Valentine might hold the key to a new opportunity, a chance at a life she had never envisioned. "You bewitched my body and soul. Put an intoxicating spell on me, shackled my heart to yours with your magic. If I could exchange my eyesight with you, I would do it just to make you see what a man dying from love looks like."
"Aideen..."
The Duke's hot breath brushed over Aideen's face, his voice getting harsher yet quiet as he continued,
"Do you want us to keep going?"
Although her mind was still clouded from the whirlwind of sensations brought to her by their fervent kiss, the princess still managed to find the strength to get surprised.
"Here? On the desk?!"
Tillian nodded and added, his expression remaining unchanged,
"Yes, here. Now. If you say yes, I won't be able to wait even a second longer."
Aideen was shocked, she could never even imagine that something like this was acceptable, however, she still could not deny the inner curiosity that urged her to give in to the enticing intrigue.
Closing her eyes once again as if afraid of her own honest desires, the woman nodded, and whispered,
"Yes... My answer is yes."
For Tillian, it was not a simple answer; it was an order he had no choice but to obey.